New York Times Mentions Those Laminated Signs Petitioning Against Pier 6 Housing Like They’re a Thing

By on June 9, 2014 3:56 pm in Brooklyn Heights

As the controversy heats up around housing in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6, the NY Times wrote last week about how Mayor deBlasio has navigated that issue as well as the ongoing tension around Long Island College Hospital.

But leave it to us (read: Homer) to pick up on this tidbit from the article:

NYT: In the same part of the world, which is to say brownstone Brooklyn, where the city’s affections for Mr. de Blasio were incubated, there is also the mounting sense that he has reneged on promises to involve neighborhoods in decisions that intimately affect them. This stems largely from his enthusiasm for building high-rises in Brooklyn Bridge Park, in part to provide much-needed affordable housing. Laminated signs questioning the wisdom of this decision have appeared on trees all over Brooklyn Heights. The proposal for the development is a decade old, but as Daniel Squadron, the state senator representing the area, told me, “There was certainly hope with a new administration that this plan would be looked at anew.”

Whether you feel that housing the park ship has already sailed (i.e. “it was in the plan all along”) or believe that it needs to be re-thought (“times have changed”), many of us can agree that “laminated signs” on poles are irksome. The only saving grace — the one keeping us from going all Andrew Porter and David on Middagh on this one — is that the notices weren’t stapled to trees.

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  • Bill3042

    These building are to high for the area, thank you to the people who are putting up the signs in hopes of stopping this project, we need more park space. Affordable housing is good but very few will benefit from these buildings. Generations from now will benefit more if these parcels of land was used for something park related

  • CassieVonMontague

    I want to point out that building on the flyer representing “31 Stories” is the Aon Center—an 83-floor, 1,136-foot skyscraper in Chicago.

  • Jorale-man

    I suspect the organizers of the Change.org petition set the bar rather high by asking for 50,000 signatures. Obviously they want to make a statement but there’s also the fact that BH only has 35,000 residents. We’re going to be the main group that’s affected by the towers, maybe along with some Cobble Hill folks. Something like 25,000 might have been a more reasonable goal.

  • Solovely

    In the park’s original environmental impact study (EIS), using 2005 data, published in early 2006, 70.9% of the park visitors were projected to be from nearby Brooklyn.. zip codes, “11xxx”

    But as anyone who visits the park today {2014!} can tell… the whole borough comes to this beautiful spot. The change.org petition has many many signatures with zip codes across all of NYC.. and signatures from national and international visitors! This whole park, including Pier 6, with its great views, is a city jewel!

    A new/updated EIS is needed.. This has change in the past.. almost 10 years! Population growth, visitor projections 30% above original projections… schools at capacity!

    Furthermore, the 2005 EIS only analyzed potential park visitors from the promenade, it ignored park approaches from Joralemon St. and Atlantic Ave. It said the “Promenade and Fulton Ferry Landing would be one of the draws to the future Park” and doesn’t bother to analyze any other “future draws” to south Brooklyn.

  • Andrew Porter

    Really? “Andrew Porter” equals “Going Ballistic”? Want me to come over to your house and brandish a pitchfork and flaming torch?

  • David on Middagh

    I am occasional-taker-down-of-outdated-or-overly-commercial posters: hear me roar.

  • David on Middagh

    That remark was addressed to Homer, and not a comment on the light-stealing, view-thieving, park-peppering people-boxes under construction or protest.

  • rocco

    thanks for pointing that out. A better reference point would have been 101 Clark Street– which has 31 floors

  • RS

    Once again the politicians, developers and the BBP Board has sold out the neighborhood and park-goers , and sacrificing those who chose to live in a neighborhood that was thought of as free of construction, noise and dirt, blocked views and over population.The current development at Pier 1 has ruined the views of the Brooklyn Bridge throughout the park, as well as the peace and quite,, Dock Street Dumbo is a monstrosity in the neighborhood and also destroys views from Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights, and the current proposed towers are no different. And about the signs, why isn’t anyone complaining about the Mt. Sinai Clinic located on Cadman Plaza West that has large flags all over Brooklyn Heights attached to lamp posts advertising their clinic? Is this now open season for the advertising of private businesses hanging from our streetlights, or are people only concerned about the trees?

  • ujh

    I’d like you to remember that including “affordable” units in one or both of the planned Pier 6 buildings neither raises the buildings’ height nor increases the number of apartments (not more than 290 and 140 units, respectively, per RFP). Instead, by agreeing to include such residential units, BBP will receive less money for the park’s maintenance and operation.
    Except during the earliest brainstorming sessions, the “promenade” was never expected to be an entry point into the park, While commercial interests along Montague Street may have licked their proverbial fingers over the prospect of constant flows of park visitors, this possibility was quickly dropped due to the vigorous opposition by powerful residents of Brooklyn Heights.
    Last, but not least, the EIS may have been based on conservative estimates; who could have foreseen that BBP became a destination so quickly? Those who advocate revisiting the General Project Plan (finalized when New York State had a major interest in the park) are irresponsible by demanding a complete rollback involving NYS politicians. The BBP is the responsibility of the City of New York.

  • ujh

    Furthermore, BBP is not being built for the “neighborhood” but for the city, the region, and the world. Those of you new to the area have no idea what this new amenity means: To be able to stroll and jog along and above the water, to have playgrounds for children and sports facilities for adults when not even ten yards of shoreline were previously accessible to people. Nothing is forever, so stop your griping and enjoy what you have when you have it!

  • Daddyo

    Condos are going to be a lot nicer than those horrible laminated signs. C’mon, Litterbug, it’s a lot of work to pull those things down. Are you going to clip all the plastic ties? Why not try some paperless online communications? Post to the 1 BBP website instead…

  • Reggie

    “‘laminated signs’ on poles are irksome.” All signs on transportation department sign poles are illegal, whether or not they are laminated.

  • Fred Sangold`

    This argument is nonsensical. The prior agreement in effect reduced the footprint of the pier6 skyscraper via watchtower rezoning. The footprint should be diminished — a 31 story skyscraper is entirely out of character with the ‘hood. Moreover the EIS should be revisited — there are not enough schools and the park is beyond crowded. Unless our community members speak up, future generations will be saddled with a mistake that will be robert moses-esque.

  • Fred Sangold

    BBP will be a congested mess and a failure unless the community enforces some limits. Why turn the Brooklyn waterfront into Queens?

  • Impeach the Mayor

    Daddyo – there are 2k+ people in favor of these signs and the protest. The numbers are growing daily. Better to have some signs than a skyscraper in a PUBLIC park glowering over Brooklyn Heights.

  • Solovely

    Your comment that the park is being built for “the world” completely contradicts the EIS from 2006, that you don’t want to revisit. It said that 70% of park visitors would be from the nearest zip codes. Clearly, we need a new EIS. Anything else is craziness, making decisions off of irrelevant and old information.

  • Hardbyhicks

    The BHA is out of touch. If they fail to join the effort to scale back the towers to the prior reduced height, it could set a tower standard for LICH and surrounding areas at our doorstep. Schools, traffic etc will make BH a much less pleasurable place to live. Wake up people and support the protest. Don’t rip down the flyers. 2100 people have signed on and it is growing by hundreds per day. The next protest will be to overthrow the BHA leadership at this rate. bit.ly/savepier6

  • TMS

    So sad…people only really get involved when it affects them. Many have been writing about these tall buildings, overpopulation, not enough infrastructure for added population, school overcrowding…but Pier 1 and Dock Street Dumbo got built anyway despite all the protests. I suspect the same will happen at Pier 6. Resistance is futile. Money speaks.

  • Quinn Raymond

    Although I think the campaign is misguided, I am supportive of the right of citizens to express their political opinions with posters and I admire the execution.

    Currently there is a $50/poster fine for this activity, which seems counter to the values of free speech.

  • Solovely

    Seems to me actually.. that lots of people have been involved with this development over many years….

    But then, you are also right that lots of people haven’t been engaged too.

    Maybe they have lacked a coherent voice, for whatever reason, but also maybe now, new social medial tools, Facebook, change.org, Twitter.. will help reach a broader group of people… the park certain serves a broad group of visitors!

  • Don’t want to be in the Dark!

    Won’t these tall building throw shadows over the park and the close neighborhoods lowering value for residents of the area and park goers? On 57th St the building is casting shadows into Central Park and everyone thinks its a shame that this problem wasn’t discussed prior to builing